I was attending a Weight Watchers meeting tonight and the topic was about goals. They are kicking off a 6-week walking challenge to prepare for a 5K in May. The plan includes starting slow by walking 10 minutes a day the first two days, then increasing the length of your daily walk until you are walking consistently for 45 minutes. In the past, I have participated in training for 5k's and other running goals. After a few weeks of training, I realized that the hip pain I was feeling far exceeded the joy I felt in completing the training.
Looking back at my ability to save money, my "training" was about the same. You start off slow; a few dollars a week, then slowly increase until you are putting away 10% to 15% of your pay in a retirement savings. Needless to say, that up until a year ago, I never made it past the "few dollars a week". I'm still putting away a few dollars here and there because that is virtually painless. However, to be intense about paying debt and saving for my future, I've not figured out how to get past the "pain". I struggle with sacrificing as I have witnessed others testimonies of sacrifice. Don't get me wrong, I've given up plenty and have a new outlook on needs versus wants. However, I wonder if there is a point where you work through the "pain" and break through to that "runner's high" that people talk about. Is there a "financially secure" high? These questions I ask myself leave me to come to one real conclusion. I'm running a financial marathon that includes many bumpy parts of the trail. My ability to dust myself off when I fall and to run again is based on my faith in God. I know that my training will include trusting in God to provide, relying on others, learning from mistakes, and not giving up on my goals. At least I know that when I finish this financial marathon, God will have been with me all along the way, and he will be there to help me celebrate by helping others in his Kingdom. Let's keep on training!
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